User blog:Maybeelater/and another bites the dust
❝''Don't be a stranger, Dustythorns!❞ — ''Ashblossom advising her A small, dust coloured pointed tabby with odd eyes and overgrown claws. Dustythorns is the odd man out, an inheritor of both ShadowClan and WindClan's cultures, who couldn't seem to find a home in any of them. Sinking into a lethargic state, beaten down by life, Dusty came to realise that what hurt her was caring. So why bother anymore? She is currently missing, having fled from WindClan with her daughter, Dandelionpaw. 'Appearance' Heritage: moggy (american bobtail(her father might have been pure-bred, or close to pure-bred) x moggy(her mother)) Description: Dustythorns is a small she-cat (8 inches at shoulders) with an average build. She's compact, more so than the usually tall and wiry cats of WindClan. That's due to her bobtail heritage, that also brought her short, stumpy tail, and her excess fur on her neck, cheeks and britches. Her face is round, yet defined, with a large muzzle. Her ears are large, with little tufts of fur at the tip, and fold over her forehead. The most striking element of her face is her large eyes, that show a surprising display of colours: though mostly dark brown, her left eye is half eaten up by green, and both eyes feature a ring of green around their pupils. Those odd eyes, in addition to her big, round eyebrows, as dark as her little black nose, give her a constant, mildly puzzled expression. Her fur is wispy and untameable, coloured with dusty cream, and her markings are those of a pointed tabby- her face, legs and tail are darker, and lined with stripes. She seems rather silly in appearance, but has creeped out some as soon as they lowered their eyes onto her small paws: she has unnaturally long, pale, thick claws, that are constantly extended, similar to dog nails. She has a raven feather tied in her fur, under her left ear. She never removes it. Palette: : = Base (#cdbfac) : = Lightest markings, claws, belly (#dad2c9) : = Light markings, fade (#b0987b) : = light markings, stripes (Optional Tertiary Color) (#90756a) : = darker markings, stripe filling, ears, toes (#68534b) : = darkest markings, tail tip, eyebrows (#2b2422) : = Eyes (brown - #422d2a / green - #b6c38c) : = Inner Ears (#dad2c9) : = Nose (#2b2422) : = Tongue (#d4a8a8) : = Pawpads (#2b2422) : = Raven feather (#000000) Voice: very soft and quiet, as expected from such a reserved cat. She doesn't meow often, and will rather trill, chirp and click- another bobtail heritage. On a humanized standpoint, her voice sounds like this (Blue Pearl from Steven universe). Scent: she retains always a faint smell of dry grass, wild flowers and lichen, though after her stay in ShadowClan, she smells more like a ShadowClanner than a WindClanner. Gait: when with company, her gait is hesitant, careful, as if each step was her last. But when alone, she becomes bouncy, lively and quick, her body moving with nervous starts. She moves like a hare, and when at full speed, her claws no longer are a bother (or rather, they help). When it comes to sprinting, she's one of the fastest cats in the clans. 'Personality' 'Traits' * +''' 'Creative -' She’s not very cooperative, but still willing to share her ideas, which are sometimes quite ingenious. Though she doesn't show it much, she's smart and crafty; a way to counter her natural clumsiness caused by her claws, among other things. Her most recent display of this trait is the creation of a flower crown from scratch. * '''+ Determined -''' By herself, she’s resistant, despite her fragile looks; she’s incredibly, if not obsessively persistent, and if she faces failure, she’ll just try again, until she obtains a result that satisfies her. That said, she is a perfectionist. While her determination has faltered after recent events, she's regaining her courage, and setting herself back on track. * '''± Unsociable -''' Warning to those who wish to crack her shell- she's a tough nut. She's not just distant by obstination; she's also so socially inapt that its artistic. She'll sputter things that make no sense, try to run away, or seem to be dying from cardiac arrest if she's surrounded by too many cats. More often, she'll just shut up and "play dead", mean stay perfectly still while gazing in emptiness until the conversation, usually one sided, is over. While she's fighting against this near phobic behaviour, she still stutters a lot, and acts highly nervous when confronted to new situations or cats. * '''± Thick -''' In pair with her social inaptitude, she's impermeable to cynicism, sarcasm, irony or any other form of offbeat humour. She's also usually the one cat not laughing in a group when the local clown lands a (even only slightly) personal or crass joke. She only really laughs or reacts to remarks with a joyful, even childish undertone, or to evacuate her stress (nervous laugher). Additionally, she's also more receptive to movements or body contacts, rather than words. * '''− Oblivious -''' She does not seem to have a good grasp of how others feel, often misunderstanding passion and sadness, despite having felt those two in a row. She can be seen as selfish, as she only watches out for herself. * '''− Solitary -''' Afraid of large cats, but an adorer of large trees, large rivers, large rocks- Dusty connects better to things that cant even communicate with her. She’s completely closed in, even with her own clan, sometimes sinking in mutism in important gatherings, as she disappears in her shyness and distant temperament. Her lack of connection makes her often enigmatic, in pair with her bizarre, disheveled appearance. She forces herself to connect more with others, which led to brilliant successes, or heart wrenching losses. She's not quite sure if she can trust her heart anymore. '''Likes *Lizards **Her favourite meal, and a good way to draw her in if you want to share a few rare words with her. No but seriously, she's obsessed with lizards. 'Dislikes' *Her own social inability **She's fighting against it, and hopes one day that she'll be able to talk with a stranger without stuttering. 'Goals' *Make her kits as happy as possible **Dusty is alienated by queen-hood, yet she is ready to dedicate herself entirely in raising her kits, playing with them, teaching them all she knows, and overall, helping them live their life at its fullest. **''future will tell if this was a success or not.'' *Help WindClan **Her home is broken- and she wants to fix it. What's brewing in her mind?... 'Fears' *Loud noises **She has a jumpy disposition in the first place, but loud noises are really the thing that make her go nuts. No matter in what situations she is, a few extra decibels can make her run away like a rabid bunny. *Loosing her loved ones **After loosing her adoptive father, what was a common fear to all cats became paranoia to Dusty. She fears for her kits, especially when they were younger, and now fears for Cloverdapple. One way to make her go berserk is to threaten her family or few friends. 'History' 'Kithood' Clan: WindClan Cats Involved: Goldenthroat, Dustykit, Sandykit Age Range: 0-6 moons *Goldenthroat, warrior of WindClan, gives birth to two very frail kits: Dustykit, a small pale female, and Sandykit, a tiny darker coloured male. **Sandykit dies within an hour, despite the assistance of the medicine cats. Dusty miraculously survives. **Goldenthoat shows an obsession with protecting Dusty, sheltering her from everyone and everything. No one can come near the kit without risking to get attacked by the queen. *At first, Dusty is unbothered by this coveting, though unknowingly, she's paying the price: her complete lack of interactions with other, including even the queens and kits present in the nursery at the time, make her socially inapt and fragile. *Her time out of the nursery is scarce, up until her apprentice ceremony. 'Apprenticehood' Clan: WindClan Cats Involved: Goldenthroat, Dustypaw, Thickettooth Age Range: 6-12 moons *A raging Goldenthroat is practically forced to let her daughter go to the ceremony. Dusty is, for the first time in her life, out of Golden's supervision. She's beyond terrified. **Her mentor is called forth: Thickettooth. His task is hefty: Dusty, who was always confined until now, is incredibly frail, sickly and suffers of poor motor skills. She's also clearly wary of him. **Slowly, but surely, he teaches her the wonders of being a warrior, and after a moon of training, Dusty's heart is conquered. *The apprentice has to alternate between the wonderful times she spends with her mentor, as she grows stronger by the day, and, in the evening, the coveting of Goldenthroat, who is horrified at the prospect of "loosing" her daughter. **This over-protection, that was originally Dusty's cocoon, becomes more and more a nuisance to the little she-cat's eyes. She has felt the flavour of freedom, and now it was the only thing that mattered to her. **Yet, she remains scarily asocial, refusing any contact other than her mother's, or Thicket's. The tom tries his best to help her open up, but his efforts are fruitless. **Goldenthroat sees her influence on her daughter is fading, and she suffers greatly of her growing coldness. *A moon before her graduation, a stronger, fitter Dustypaw has her world thrown upside down: in WindClan territory, Goldenthroat is found dead, her mouth filled with death berries. Her sudden disappearance is seen as a suicide, but it makes no sense to those who knew her well- she had said several times that she was in dire need to see her daughter become a warrior. Why would she die before? **As she was rather detestable, her death is soon forgotten. Dusty weeps her, but her sorrow feels empty; she doesn't know how to feel about the death of the one who smothered her so much in love that Dusty sees no more meaning in it. 'Warriorhood' Clan: WindClan Cats Involved: too many to list Age Range: 12-16 moons *Dusty becomes a warrior, surprising some that expected her to die of some sickness before. She's no longer a runt. *She keeps hanging out only with Thickettooth, and purposefully misses and ignores patrols to avoid being in a group. Thicket scolds her about it, but she still adamantly avoids the presence of her clanmates. **She is unaffected when StarClan abandons the clans. **When the battle for the river starts, she hides away in WindClan's camp. Thickettooth, who joined his clan in ThunderClan's camp, gets wounds from the battle at the river, then the raid against ThunderClan, that pitted four clans against each other, and triggered a prophecy from StarClan. Dusty is devoured by guilt, and starts realising she can't both stay in the shadows and protect those she loves. *She is haunted and taunted by Goldenthroat when dead cats start mingling with the living. She brushes away her mother's bickering. **While out with Thicket, she is confronted with a possessed Tortoisepaw. She escapes unscathed, but her guilt builds up as she realises she had left Thicket alone to face the crazed apprentice. *In an effort to connect to others, she starts exploring WindClan's borders, and the peak. She achieves two meaningful relationships. **By ShadowClan's border, she meets a very nervous tom: Ravenmask. Like her, he doesn't fit in well in his own clan, and has trouble communicating. The two being very similar, they quickly warm up to each other, and start meeting up often. **At the peak, she meets an enigmatic tom: Ashblossom. They have a chat, but have to part when the sky is reddened by the Blood Moon. They will only meet again much later. *Chaos ensues in the clans, and when RiverClan comes to WindClan's territory as a shelter from a devastating flood, Dusty once again attempts to befriend cats. **Specifically, she aims to bring some feathers and flowers as a gift for Nectarstar, who just had a litter. She also wishes to meet Thickettooth's children, Mudfish and Nettletuft. **In the end, she freaks out when a riverclanner comes to speak to her, and runs away. *She grows closer and closer to Ravenmask, and soon, they become lovers. Dusty stays silent about it, fearing repercussion from her clan. As Raven declared his love by giving her flowers and a raven feather, she starts wearing the feather, and has not taken it off since. **But tragedy strikes: Thickettooth dies from unknown causes. His passing is peaceful, though 60 moons being quit early for dying of old age, Dusty is unprepared, and completely devastated. **She weaves a crown with black and blue flowers, and wears it to signify her grieving. Her overbearing sadness damages her relation to Raven. The tom being already quite alienated by clan life, starts speaking to her about leaving, and she encourages him, knowing whats best for him. They separate on good terms. *The dark forest invasion finally end after the clans organise a ritual at the peak- a sad Dusty watches from the distance. *She once again sinks into total isolation, though a WindClan apprentice, Cloverpaw, starts interacting with her. *Lost, and facing an odd change in her body- her belly swelling, and her appetite growing, she walks up to the peak, seeking to meditate, and come closer to the sky, where Thickettooth now resides. **She meets Ashblossom again there, and she gets to vent. The tom advises her, cheering her up then telling her she had to contact a medicine cat about her belly. Her moral is boosted, and when they part, she feels more determined. *But uncertainty hits her again when Finchcreek announces to her that she's pregnant. She easily deduces who the father is, and is both delighted yet terrified, realising her lovely but quick relationship with Raven had unforeseen consequences. 'Queenhood' Clan: WindClan Cats Involved: too many to list Age Range: 16-19 moons *She eventually gives birth to 4 kits, with Cloverpaw by her side, and Tortoisepaw assisting her kitting. **Lavenderkit, Carnationkit, Briarkit and Dandelionkit are all safe and healthy. Carnationkit, the runt of the litter, worries Dusty greatly, but he survives. *Dusty moves into the nursery, and her litter catches the attention of the local kits. Her 4 babies soon get the funnily accurate moniker of "worms". *Dusty fights to not be like her mother when raising her little ones, and acts open with the other cats in the nursery. She and her kits spend 3 peaceful moons in the nursery. **The kits slowly acquire their true eye colours, and Dusty, too happy to care, is oblivious to the growing blaze in Carnation and Dandelion's eyes. *Its Stagstar that makes her snap back to reality. The tom is approached by the kittens as they explore camp for the first time, and when he sees 2 of the 4 have fire eyes, he panics. **After the recent death of Finchcreek in a fire, flames haunt many of the cats in camp- the seemingly extinguished fear of fire eyes erupts again, and a fiery Dusty soon ends up facing Stag in a heated argument. **The camp is divided- some cats find this fear absurd, while the rest just wants the kits gone. It causes such a rupture that Halfwolf, at the time the deputy of WindClan, attacks Stagstar in hopes of making the leader snap out of his terror. Dusty, horrified and panicked by the tension, runs away with her kits. **Before departing, she shares some last words with Cloverpaw, and promises to return. 'Queenhood' Clan: ShadowClan Cats Involved: too many to list Age Range: 19-24 moons *Dustythorns arrives in ShadowClan- the old residence of Ravenmask, and the clan neighbouring WindClan. She collapses in the middle of the territory, after letting out a loud call in hopes of being found. **She is discovered by Mottleface and Redpaw, who soon alert their clan. A patrol brings the queen to camp, with her kits. **Dusty is nursed back to health in the medicine cat den. She is warmly welcomed in ShadowClan, her stay being approved by Coalstar. *She moves into the nursery, and enjoys peaceful days with her kittens. She allows them to go out in camp, trusting the ShadowClanners more and more. She gets to converse with a few. **An odd tom, Spliceheart, starts becoming very close to Briarkit. Though Dusty is very wary of him, she allows this friendship, fearing too much of being controlling, like her mother. **Her kits socialize and explore, occasionally playing a traditional WindClan game, Furball. Carnation is a Furball champion. **But things aren't all perfect- her kits don't all feel at home. And Briarkit becomes troubled- she claws Dandelionkit's by accident, and Dusty soon focuses on trying to teach her daughter how to deal with her overgrown claws. *Due to Briar's proud nature, and Splice's more or less dangerous influence, the she-kit starts becoming more and more alienated, as she enters fights and tussles, sometimes even with adults- most notably Nightmoth, who fears for his own kits. Dusty is devastated, and starts doubting her mothering abilities. *The drought builds up, cats die- the survivors become more and more desperate and tense. **Dusty finds solace in the return of her lover, Ravenmask. Lots of angst ensues but in the end they make up for the lost time. Without even needing a declaration, the two become official mates. **Raven has trouble being accepted by the kits, and Dusty grows more and more tense. **On the other hand, Briar's relationship with her classmates worsens. Dusty doesn't know how to solve this, and closes in more and more. *Dusty meets Halwolf, who just moved into ShadowClan. They discuss about WindClan, and Dusty gets an update: things are still hectic there. **Carnationkit gets a heatstroke. Dusty, beyond horrified, aids the medicine cats till she collapses. While helping Hawkwing, a med, she sees how displeasing Spliceheart can be, as he stays in the den without helping, and even provokes Hawk. *ShadowClan moves to a ravine in their territory. During the move, Briar gets in trouble again, and ends up feeling saddened and frustrated by all the animosity around her. **She runs off, sobbing, but is caught up with Splice and Dusty. The molly hears the tom speak of vengeance in Briar's name as they approach the new camp, and she tears Briar away from him, now determined to undermine the toxic relationship between the warrior and the kit. **Dusty stays most of the time in the new medicine cat den, alongside Carnation and Raven. The kit recovers slowly. **Splice and Dusty have a talk. She openly admits that she is afraid of him, and how he is influencing her daughter. She hopes to change Splice's behaviour, but the tom condemns his relation with Briar when he reveals that he does not care about the kit's future. **Dusty reveals that to Briar, who is heartbroken and enraged. The queen is equally shaken. *Skunkkit discovers a sinkhole in the middle of the ravine. As the clan rushes to save the kit, then discover where the hole leads, Dusty cowers in camp, still keeping an eye on her sickly son. **ShadowClan discovers tunnels and caves, and soon moves underground. Dusty has to chase Briarkit, who once again attempts murder against Spliceheart. She separates the two, and moves to an isolated spot in camp with Raven and their worms. **Dusty enjoys the freshness and the free water found down there, as well as the ressemblance to the WindClan tunnels, but she's far from serene. Briar is still very agitated and troubled, the kits completely lost as adults and youngsters alike shun her for her rough behaviour. **Anther fight breaks out, and Dustythorns confront Nightmoth again. Flickerheart, the deputy, has to intervene, and demands excuses from the kit and the queen. **Dusty, defeated, says sorry, and tries to explain to Night how she doesn't know how to deal with motherhood. The tom emphasise, and starts to tolerate Briar's presence around his kits. The she-kit, repenting, calms down and starts to relink with her clanmates. **Dusty and Night connect a bit over a common past- he too had to leave WindClan because of the fear of fire eyes. **Meanwhile, Raven gets to become closer to his kits, as they accept him as a father. *Peaceful times begin, and Dusty gets to rest and recover. *She is eventually caught up by her own homesickness; surely bizarre considering how she departed from WindClan. **She proposes a visit to the moors to her family. **Hell breaks loose: while some of her kits seem eager to go see WindClan, Ravenmask and Briarkit adamantly refuse to let this visit happen. **Dusty is confused, not understanding that she's opening still-fresh wounds in their hearts- in fact, she does not seem to understand them at all. *In the end, a visit still happens: Dusty, accompanied by Halfwolf, Dandelionkit, Carnationkit and Lavenderkit, goes to WindClan. **They meet Berrypaw and Batpaw at the border, and the two apprentices reveal that things aren't going very well in their clan. **The group arrives to WindClan's underground camp, and Dusty gets to meet a few cats, alongside her kits. Stagstar speaks to her, demanding forgiveness for his behaviour upon her exile. She accepts it, in hopes of seeing the fire eyes tradition disappear. **She wishes to meet Cloverdapple, and is directed to the nursery. She discovers a comatose Clover, and, heart broken but relieved to see her, she lays down next to her to comfort the molly. **She unexpectedly falls asleep, despite her promise to Coalstar to return before sundown. Meanwhile, Half leaves, taking two kits with him- causing some ruckus in the clan, though she sleeps right through it. *Dusty wakes up, embarrassed upon realising she's very late for her return. Yet, she doesn't feel like leaving... **She has a long conversation with Stickpaw, a cat who supported her exile due to fearing fire eyes. She forgives him too, as he presents his excuses and speaks with her about socialising. MMMhmmm, Dusty's favourite subject. *She returns to ShadowClan with her kits, her heart still filled with worry for Clover. *tba 'Relationships' 'Kin' 'Opinions' ⦁ = Acquaintance | ⦁⦁ = Friend | ⦁⦁⦁ = Best friend ⦁ = Blood relative | ⦁⦁ = Like family | ⦁⦁⦁ = Inseparable ⦁ = Respects as equal | ⦁⦁ = Looks up to | ⦁⦁⦁ = Idolizes ⦁ = Crush | ⦁⦁ = Fling/Potential mate | ⦁⦁⦁ = Mate ⦁ = Uneasy around | ⦁⦁ = Nervous around | ⦁⦁⦁ = Induces anxiety ⦁ = Competitor | ⦁⦁ = Rival | ⦁⦁⦁ = Archnemesis ⦁ = Annoyed by | ⦁⦁ = Dislikes | ⦁⦁⦁ = Hates |-|ThunderClan= :Dust has not interacted with any ThunderClan members yet. |-|WindClan= :Stagstar/leader/weird relation/⦁⦁ ::She stays silent. :Cloverdapple/deputy/friend/⦁⦁ ::"I'm so happy to be by her side again!" :Lavenderpaw/apprentice/son/⦁⦁⦁ ::"I'm proud of him! We should spend some time together, just picking flowers..." :Dandelionkit/kit/daughter/⦁⦁⦁ ::"My little bunny- she's becoming stronger by the day!" :Goldenthroat/warrior, deceased/mother/⦁⦁⦁⦁/Drive ::Dust looks away as you mention the name of her mother. She refuses to make eye contact with you. :Sandykit/kit, deceased/brother/⦁⦁⦁⦁/???% ::Dusty remains silent as stone. :Thickettooth/senior warrior, deceased/adoptive father/⦁⦁⦁⦁⦁⦁ ::Dusty opens her mouth as if she's about to say something, but her words seem caught by the lump in her throat. :Finchcreek/medicine cat, deceased/respected figure/⦁⦁ ::"Thank you..." :Tortoisepaw/medicine cat apprentice, unknown status (deceased?)/respected figure/⦁⦁ ::"..." |-|ShadowClan= :Ravenmask/warrior/mate/⦁⦁⦁⦁⦁⦁/Oceans ::She looks away, gaze unreadable. :Briarpaw/apprentice/daughter/⦁ ::"I understand her anger... Somewhat. I'm sorry, Rose... I really am." :Carnationpaw/apprentice/son/⦁⦁⦁ ::"I wish he could have followed- I hope he's happy in ShadowClan, though!" :Halfwolf/warrior/respected figure/⦁⦁ ::"A good cat." |-|RiverClan= :Dust has not interacted with any RiverClan members yet. |-|SkyClan= :Ashblossom/warrior/a support/⦁⦁/I Know A Place ::"I'll do my best... Thank you for the advice." |-|Outside the Clans= :???/kittypet/father/⦁ ::Dust winces, her expression unreadable; eyes suddenly alight with the need to ask questions, yet full of an odd, primordial fear. She decides to stay silent. 'Trivia' *When she actually becomes close to someone, she tends to automatically adopt a pose where they're sheltering her in some ways; usually she'll just sit against them, and sometimes even sink in their fur if its long enough. Ironically, that works better with large cats. *She is known as Dusty, Dust, Thorn and Dud. *The song you can play while viewing this page is Midnight City by M83. 'Quotes' ❝ What do you think your brother would look like? Oh, he would have been beautiful... Right, Dusty? But he lives on in us... Oh, I miss him very much. Dont you, Dusty? ❞ — Goldenthroat to Dustykit ❝ Stay strong, Dusty. You might feel as frail as the grass at our paws, but trust me, you're as strong as the hills beneath. ❞ — Thickettooth to Dustypaw ❝''Gorgeleap...❞ — ''Dustythorns reluctantly joining in the chanting upon Gorge's promotion as WindClan deputy ❝''Are you sure we need to- to trespass... To get food... Are we really... are we really down this low?❞ — ''Dustythorns to Thistletooth, about WindClan stealing fish from RiverClan ❝ Mother... You wont- you cant talk to me anymore. Because I stopped trying, and now you stopped trying too. You all stopped trying. And thats good. Because no one needs dead cats anyways. ❞ — Dustythorns, to the memory of Goldenthroat. ❝''YOUR NAME WHATS?❞ — ''Dustythorns to Ravenmask ❝''I love you too.❞ — ''Dustythorns declaring to Ravenmask ❝''Don't be a stranger, Dustythorns!❞ — ''Ashblossom advising Dusty ❝''Lavenderkit, for the flower me and your father both loved, and that bring peace in the heart of all cats. Carnationkit, for a flower that signifies love- may those that see you all feel it soaring in their heart. Briarkit, in memory of your grandfather; you are the flowers that bloom in the brambles, surpassing all hardships. Dandelionkit; you look like those flowers that divide and float in the wind, that are the very spirit of the moor and freedom.❞ — ''Dustythorns naming her kittens ❝''Do you think I'll just abandon my kits at the peak? or at the abandoned twoleg place, while we're at it? Do you think I'll separate them from each other, from me? That I'll LEAVE MY KITTENS BEHIND?!❞ — ''Dustythorns to Stagstar 'Gallery' File:Dusty_fullbody.png|reference picture, by yours truly File:Dusty_flower_crown.png|when she was pregnant, by yours truly File:Dustythorns_by_dreamo.png|By AutumnalBlues File:Dusty_belly.png|by yours truly File:YOU.png|by yours truly File:Contemplation_dusty.png|by yours truly File:Dusty_pokemon_sprite.png|by yours truly File:AAAAAAAAAA.png|by yours truly (featuring Ravenmask) File:Liittlekiddos_by_AutumnalBlues.png|By AutumnalBlues (featuring Ravenmask) File:Dusty_by_PastelAsteroid.png|By PastelAsteroid File:Dusty_by_starsaurus_.png|by Starsaurus File:Dusty_by_vitalize.png|by Vitalize File:Dusty_and_ash.png|by Apparitiøn (featuring Ashblossom) File:Dusty_thorns_by_boot.png|by Bootleggdd __NOWYSIWYG__ Category:Blog posts